4-star forward DeWayne Brown commits to Tennessee basketball over Mississippi State

DeWayne Brown committed to Tennessee basketball on Saturday as the first prospect in the 2025 class for the Vols.

Brown picked the Vols over Mississippi State, while holding offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, LSU, Providence and others. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward is a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite. The Hoover (Alabama) standout is ranked the No. 143 recruit in the nation.

Brown made an official visit to Knoxville in mid-February.

DeWayne Brown is Tennessee basketball’s first 2025 commitment

Brown is coming off a big junior season in which he was named the Class 7A Mr. Basketball, the highest classification in Alabama. He helped lead Hoover to a 30-3 record and a 7A AHSAA state championship during his junior season.

How Tennessee basketball recruiting has fared under Rick Barnes

Tennessee signed four straight top-25 classes from 2019-22, including three top-10 classes from 2020 to 2022, per the 247Sports Composite. The Vols signed 13 top-100 recruits in that four-year span, including five five-star prospects.

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Josiah-Jordan James was the first five-star recruit to sign with coach Rick Barnes at UT. He did so in 2019, starting a run of five-stars that continued through the 2022 class with Julian Phillips. UT signed two in 2020 with guards Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer. It signed two more in 2021 in guard Kennedy Chandler and forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield.

Tennessee’s 2023 class ranked No. 21 nationally.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: DeWayne Brown commits to Tennessee basketball over Mississippi State